Migration of computer personalization information

• US 6,795,835 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2001
• Issued: 09/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Windstream Intellectual Property Services, Inc. (Windstream Holdings II LLC)
• Original Assignee: CenterBeam, Inc. (EarthLink Incorporated)
• Inventors: Penzias, Arno A., Ricart, Glenn, Laube, Sheldon, Epstein, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Merilyn P
• Application Number:
  US09/772,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20020103779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,331 Days
• Field of Search: 707/204, 707/1, 707/203, 707/9, 711/162, 711/161, 711/202, 711/165, 701/202, 709/220
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/214 Database migration support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

A migration tool and methods for migrating computer personalization information from one computer to another when a network is not available, when a network is available but use of the network is undesirable for some reason, and/or when the computer which is the source of the data being migrated has limited or unknown resources to support conventional forms of data migration.

Claims

1. A method for migrating, without using a network, personalization data from a source computer having the personalization data and generic data to a destination computer, comprising the steps of:

connecting to the source computer a migration tool having a processor, memory, and means for identifying said personalization data by distinguishing between said personalization data and said generic data;

copying said personalization data from the source computer to the migration tool using a minimal file system on the source computer;

disconnecting the migration tool from the source computer;

connecting the migration tool to the destination computer; and

transferring said personalization data from the migration tool to the destination computer using a minimal file system on the destination computer.

2. A storage medium for saving data, wherein it is configured for embodying data and instructions readable by a computer to perform the method of claim 1.

3. A migration tool comprising a processor and a memory in operable communication with the processor, a means for exchanging information with a computer having generic data and personalization data, and a means of using the memory and processor for identifying said personalization data by distinguishing between said personalization data and said generic data.

4. A signal set embodied in a computer having generic data and personalization data, the signal set comprising the combination of a command to read data, and minimal migration software used to read the personalization data from a source computer disk in response to the command by running only a minimal file system and I/O software rather than a normal operating system and file system software.

5. A method comprising the steps of connecting to a source computer having generic data and personalization data a migration tool having a processor, a memory and means for identifying said personalization data so as to distinguish said personalization data from said generic data, requesting information from the source computer related to types and locations of data, analyzing the information received, identifying said personalization information by distinguishing between said personalization data and said generic data, and retrieving at least a portion of the identified personalization information.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising at least one of the following steps:

downloading the personalization information to a destination computer;

storing the personalization information to permit it to be restored later after loss of another copy of the personalization information;

analyzing the personalization information for computer viruses;

statistically analyzing the personalization information;

cloning the personalization information while creating a duplicate machine;

updating the personalization information;

retaining the personalization information as part of a baseline for later comparisons;

assessing the personalization information to help determine whether the source computer should be upgraded;

preserving the personalization information for posterity in a historical institution;

saving the personalization information for use in legal proceedings;

compressing the personalization information;

encrypting the personalization information;

converting the personalization information from one file format or version to another; and

erasing the personalization information from the source computer.

7. A system for migrating, without using a network, personalization data from a source computer having generic data and the personalization data to a destination computer, the system comprising:

means for connecting to the source computer a migration tool having a processor, memory, and means for identifying said personalization data by distinguishing between said personalization data and said generic data;

means for copying said personalization data from the source computer to the migration tool using a minimal file system on the source computer;

means for disconnecting the migration tool from the source computer;

means for connecting the migration tool to the destination computer; and

means for transferring said personalization data from the migration tool to the destination computer using a minimal file system on the destination computer.

8. A system comprising:

means for connecting to a source computer having generic data and personalization data a migration tool having a processor, a memory and means for identifying said personalization data by distinguishing between said personalization data and said generic data,

means for requesting information related to types and locations of data from the source computer,

means for analyzing the information received, and

means for retrieving at least a portion of the identified personalization information.

9. A method of migrating personalization data from a source computer having generic data and said personalization data, comprising the steps of:

connecting to the source computer a migration tool having a processor, memory, and means for identifying said personalization data by distinguishing between said personalization data and said generic data;

identifying, by means of said migration tool, said personalization data by distinguishing between said personalization data and said generic data;

copying said personalization data from the source computer to the migration tool.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said step of identifying said personalization data comprises requesting and retrieving by said migration tool from said source computer information for determining types and locations of data in said source computer.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said step of identifying said personalization data further comprises analyzing said retrieved information to distinguish between said personalization data and said generic data so as to identify said personalization data.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said step of analyzing comprises comparing said retrieved information with information that said migration tool has obtained from other computers.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein no network is used to connect said migration tool with said source computer.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising a step of configuring said source computer with minimal migration software which is a slave responding to said migration tool, so that said source computer is running a minimal file system and I/O software rather than a normal operating system and file system software.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said minimal migration software is capable of retrieving said personalization data and transferring said personalization data on request to said migration tool.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said step of configuring comprises booting from a diskette that is configured with said minimal migration software.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said step of configuring comprises overriding a normal boot process to avoid loading said a normally used file system and said operating system of said source computer.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein said step of configuring comprises convincing software already present on said source computer to retrieve said personalization data and to present on request to said migration tool.

19. The method of claim 9 further comprising a step of downloading said copied personalization data from said migration tool to a destination computer.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising a step of configuring said destination computer with minimal migration software which is a slave responding to said migration tool, so that said destination computer is running a minimal file system and I/O software rather than a normal operating system and file system software.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said step of downloading comprises the steps of disconnecting said migration tool from said source computer and then connecting said migration tool to said destination computer.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein no network is used to connect said migration tool to said destination computer.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein said migration tool is connected to said destination computer by a network.

24. A data migration kit for migrating personalization data from a source computer having generic data and said personalization data, comprising:

a migration tool having a processor, memory and means for identifying said personalization data by distinguishing between said personalization data and said generic data, and storage for saving said personalization data obtained from said source computer; and

a minimal migration software operable on said source computer and capable of, in response to request from said migration tool, retrieving information related to types and locations of data on said source computer and transferring said retrieved information to said migration tool.

25. The data migration kit of claim 24 wherein said minimal migration software is capable of configuring said source computer so that said source computer is running a minimal file system and I/O software rather than a normal operating system and file system software.

26. The data migration kit of claim 25 wherein said minimal migration software is a slave responding to said migration tool.

27. The data migration kit of claim 24 wherein said migration tool is connectable to said source computer without using a network.

28. The data migration kit of claim 24 wherein said migration tool is connectable to a destination computer for downloading said personalization data saved in said storage of said migration tool to said destination computer.

29. The data migration kit of claim 28 wherein said minimal migration software is operable of configuring said destination computer so that said destination computer is running a minimal file system and I/O software rather than a normal operating system and file system software.